Faith or Fear: Blessing or Cursing Part Three

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Psalm 144:15 (NLT) “Yes, happy are those who have it like this! Happy indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”

If you have ever seen pictures of a country or city ravaged by war, it is heart breaking to say the least. Everything is broken and beaten down from the buildings, to the infrastructure, to the people. It leaves a wake of destitute people.

Just because a nation hasn’t been hit by a physical war, does not mean that it isn’t in the midst of a spiritual war. When there is a spiritual assault on any nation – the first clue that this is happening is that there spiritual and moral confusion and chaos. Ultimately Satan works behind the scenes to confuse people over whom God is and His plan of good and blessing for mankind. Satan accomplishes spiritual and moral confusion and chaos through creating the illusion and acceptance that there are “many gods and many paths to God.” His strategy is then tolerance and acceptance of all religions ACCEPT the one true way to God which is through Jesus Christ. Jesus refuted that declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Christianity is then persecuted while the false religions are accepted. Satan doesn’t care about other religions because they aren’t real and aren’t a threat to him. When Jesus appeared before those controlled by demonic spirits, the demons trembled and cried out in fear at His presence. That is not recorded in history concerning any other religion’s leader or god. Why? Because they were not real – not sent from God, were not God, and were no threat to Satan’s plan. Satan’s plan continues by working to discredit God’s Word for the ultimate and final authority for boundaries, law, and moral position – leading us to the place we are at today – moral chaos and acceptance of evil. Isaiah 5:20 warned the nations of that day when “Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil..” When this happens to a nation, you know it’s a nation and people ravaged by spiritual warfare and totally confused about God and His love and desire for good for mankind.

God does not want you confused over who He is, who Jesus is, or over you becoming a child of God. He wants and has good plans for you! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” You can’t fix the entire world but you can influence it for better. You won’t do that until God influences you for better. Jesus died, arose, and paid the price for you to be blessed and receive all that God has for you. When you finally get hold of that revelation, you will begin to trust Him and His many promises to you. God says He has a good plan for you. That plan is blessing. Satan would like you to think God has abandoned you – that He has left you “high and dry.” That isn’t the truth! Blessing has always been God’s intent for you and for anyone that would come to know and live for Him.

What is meant by blessing? When we bless God it means to adore Him for all He is and all He has done for us. That won’t happen until you know Him and what He wants for you. When He blesses us it means to confer benefits or gifts to us – to prosper us or to improve our quality of life. His first benefits are a relationship with Him coupled with the forgiveness of sin and the promise of Heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. That is only the beginning. God promises us blessing that is almost overwhelming to believe – especially if it’s far above anything you are experiencing in your present life. He promises supernatural peace transcending the burdens or trials that would otherwise weigh you down. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

He doesn’t come close to stopping there. He promises to take you out of a war torn ravaged life. When He came to rescue His people from Egypt through Moses, they were beaten down – so beaten down that they found it hard to believe that God cared for them or that He would really help them. Does that describe you? Do you have a hard time believing in God’s promises – that they are real and meant for you? Do you even know what they are? If you do, can you imagine your life mirroring the promises described? By that, I mean can you believe that what God wanted for His people then, He wants for you today?

Let’s look into a few of His promised blessings. They may seem the opposite of your present experience and difficult for you to even imagine in your life. Don’t’ start by wrapping your brain around them Start by wrapping your faith around them.

Psalm 144:12-15 says, “May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace. [13] May our farms be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands, [14] and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no breached walls, no forced exile, no cries of distress in our squares. [15] Yes, happy are those who have it like this! Happy indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”

Does this promise regarding your children look like your children? Does this promise regarding your livelihood – blessed and abundant – look like your livelihood? Does the peace described – “no cries of distress” sound like the peace in your life? Does God want this for you? He says, “Yes, happy are those who have it like this! Happy indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”
More about God’s promised blessing to you to come…

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org